The shipbuilding of tomorrow works paperless

Digitalization has arrived in all areas of our lives. This also applies to areas of business such as production the production of naval frigates because paperless manufacturing is on the rise. Saving paper is not only good for the environment but also reduces costs in the company. thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul demonstrates unprecedentedlyhow shipbuilding can work without printed designs.

thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul in Santa Catarina is setting the stagefor the most innovative naval project ever developed in Brazil: the construction of Tamandaré-Class frigates for the Brazilian Navy. Upon completion, the four defense vessels will be equipped with the most advanced technologies.

However, the project’s innovation is not limited to the technologies and systems on board the vessels. The way they are planned and developed is also unprecedented in the South American marine industry.In the past, projects of this size were developed using many printed documentssuch as drawings, procedures and manuals that require many copies and recurring updates. At thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul this is a thing of the past.

Tablets and computers for optimized and sustainable processes

Paperless manufacturing goes beyond environmental benefits.When a company digitizes a production line, the security of the information contained in the documents is a top priority.Especially in naval companies, confidentiality is a fundamentaland necessary part of any project.

Faced with this challenge, the thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul, with the support of its holding company thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, implemented a methodology for current and upcoming engineering projects called "Paperless". It aims to eliminate and digitize paper documents and drawings in the frigate production line. The goal is to prepare the shipyard to be a reference in technological implementation. After all, paperless processes are an essential part of Industry 4.0 and bring many benefits.

A company can not only achieve  economic savings through minimizing paper usage and printing costs, the digitally available data also shortens internal workflows and can and resolves possible issues in advance. This results in increased employee productivity and accelerated production - in other words, a win-win situation.

To ensure that everything runs smoothly in paperless manufacturing, more than 20 totems with computers have been installed in the production area of the thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul shipyard - by the end of the year there will be 40 - and around 25 tablets. With this equipment, the employees working on the project can access drawings in 2D and 3D format, checklists, procedures, and manuals. These documents are always updated in real time by the engineering teams in Brazil and Germany. This way, the digital transformation optimizes daily work processes such as the appointment of labor, internal request for consumables, the traceability of sheets, profiles, pipes, and quality control.

However, employees encountered not only opportunities in the transformation but also some challenges. The project is led by marine engineer Letícia Bodanese, who has been working at thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul for two years. She says that the main challenge in innovative projects such as paperless is cultural. “People naturally tend to resist change processes. But after an awareness stage, they learn to work in the new scenario and contribute to the process, incorporating changes in their habits, contributing to the personal development of each employee and the development of the company”, explains the engineer. For Bodanese the fact that the concept was introduced at the beginning of the construction project was also a success factor for the initiative.

The prospects for the future are innovative Our teams at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul are constantly working on developing processes and implementing innovative technologies. Naturally, the next step in paperless manufacturing is to become even more innovative with the use of augmented reality. With the help of AR glasses, it will be possible to superimpose holograms over a physical production part and to check the positioning of the assembly, the interference between sectors, layout of the compartments, and the quality. The special feature: both, employees on site and remote experts from Germany can carry out this process.

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